Other insights...

[Guest guest]

JGD,

I continued my correspondence with my friend who is writing the book today.

Since some of you were interested, I thought I would post my recent response to

her here as well. Please share you experiences with how you believe Sri Swamiji

give spiritual direction, too.

 

SGD,

Daria

 

Jennifer,

I have been pondering your question about how a guru gives spiritual direction,

and I am overwhelmed with the possibilities.

 

I mentioned yesterday that the Guru/devotee relationship is really a heart to

heart connection, and many lessons are taught silently through that loving heart

connection.

Sri Swamiji always says that he is a "silent teacher" and that is true, and it

is difficult to explain that to someone who hasn't experienced it. So how does

spiritual direction happen?

 

On the surface there are lots of ways. Swamiji gives lectures, he uses his music

to give healing/spiritual insight with sound, he gives mantra initiation,

encourages people to go as far as they can in their secular education, he

publishes books, and he meets with individuals personally, often making

recommendations about what paths they should follow.

 

When I think about Sri Swamiji's teaching methods, I am reminded of the Native

American custom of vision questing. As you know, on a vision quest, everything

is Guru. As you sit out there in the wilderness, you study what is about you,

and wait to see who/what comes. No matter what is there, or what shows up, it is

your teacher in the Native tradition. If you've had a good quest, ultimately you

realize that your vision doesn't stop and that your life is always your vision

quest unfolding. Being with a Guru is like that. When you surrender and ask him

to guide you or teach you, the lessons begin in everything and everyone around

you. Life becomes an amazing adventure, full of mystery and surprises and

incredible discoveries! Sometimes it's self discovery, sometimes it's amazing

new insights about the world or the people around you, sometimes it's healing of

old wounds...

 

One of my favorite things about Swamiji is that he will make little statements

during personal interviews that can become major future lessons and adventures.

An example I was reminded of this morning came in a story that a devotee shared

about how when he first met Sri Swamiji he was told that his guru was in the

Himalayas. This person started trekking through the Himalayas, and over the

years has become very familiar with them. He is a long term devotee of Swamiji's

and I know holds him close in his heart and considers him his guru. But this

little hint years ago, has led to this person now leading spiritual pilgrimages

to holy places in the Himalayas! Often Swamiji gives these little hints--he may

say the name of a diety, or mention a place, or any little thing that when you

follow up on it, or think about it, often turns out to be an incredible

spiritual lesson or precautionary message.

 

The important thing to understand, is that a Guru doesn't teach everyone in the

same way There are thousands of stories filled with little personal miracles.

Swamiji constantly stresses that what works for one devotee to help them in

their spiritual development, may not be good for another. In other words, one

person's nectar may be another person's poison. While it may be good for me to

study a certain thing, or to do a particular practice, it may not be good for

another. It is his decision what is best.

 

What I have come to learn over the years is that you don't always get what you

want. But you do get what you need from your Guru, and always when you need it.

Understanding that your guru is not a wishfulfiller, but a spiritual master is

an important lesson along the way.

 

It is hard for people sometimes when they first come to Swamiji to see that they

are getting just as much attention from him as anyone else. After years of

watching, I have learned that no matter how many people are around him---and

that can be in the thousands--that still people will feel/know that they have

been given a personal lesson. Often you are sure that his words were just for

you because they so clearly suit your personal issues at the time, but then you

discover that 100 other devotees also felt the same way....and it's true for

everyone! Trusting that you have just what you need at any given moment and not

comparing it to what others have gotten is always a good rule. Experience has

taught me that Guru is capable of loving/teaching everyone of us to our fullest

personal capacity at any given moment--and does!

 

An important lesson to be learned is to be willing to give up everything that

you have learned! To constantly be willing to bow before your teacher and say,

"Ok, this is what I've learned. Take it, let me empty myself and start

again...."

 

Hope that helps. That's all I have time to write today. I am sharing this with

our devotee listserve. Hope you don't mind.

 

Love Daria